The Shadow's Lament
by FanimeScribbler
Summary: Midna could not understand the attraction of the Light for some. And she doubted she ever would."; A novelization of Twilight Princess from Midna's POV.
1. twilight

**The Shadow's Lament**

**Disclaimer: **NO, I do NOT own Zelda. Do you really need to ask?

**Da Scribbler says**: Gawd, what a dumb, cliche title...(hangs head in shame) Right, so this is the novelization of Twilight Princess I've been working on. It is nowhere near complete, but I thought I'd upload chap one for heck's sake - see if anybody likes it. I really tried to actually _write _something good with this. Not something just funny for my amusement (like the majority of my fanfics), but actually try to write something related to literature. Something angsty and good. Of course, I might've just failed miserably in that aspect, but at the very least, I'm sure it makes for good fanfiction.

The italic blurbs at the beginning of each part were at first just exercises in showing off (egotistical fanficer much?) but they don't work as nicely on fanfiction because the stupid document managers don't show tabs and spaces...so I'm rather disappointed about how that worked out. Have to modify them all now...bummer...

I forget exactly where I got the idea for this...I just was thinking of Midna one day and then thought it would be really cool to see things through her POV. Not that I am a hardcore Midna fan or anything...still hold a grudge against her being SO annoying during the beginning of the game. And the first time her laugh came outta the wiimote! Scared me. But yeah, I don't exactly hate her either...although she is STILL a douche. But writing this has given me an eerie amount of insight into her character. Funny how writing does that to you.

Enough talk (although, did you really read all that? You did? You astound me...). Get on to the fanfic - that'swhat I _really_ want you to read.

Enjoy and review!

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1. Shadow dwells in time continuous

_No Light to ever touch its path_

_Eternal_

_Twilight_

…_resides…_

***

Midna had lived her whole life in the Twilight – naturally. As the ruler of the Twili (officially, she was the Twilight Princess, but that name had always seemed entirely overly melodramatic to her), the ashen sky streaked with startlingly pale clouds and the midnight particles that hung as dust in the air was completely natural and even attractive to her.

She had never seen the Realm of Light nor did she wish to. Her realm was filled with a quiet, dark beauty that softly compelled. There had been times when she had stood hours on end, just letting the velvety dusk enfold her, murmuring its husky song to her. It was infinitely preferable to light – Midna most definitely did not like light. It was a boisterous thing, inconstant and stabbed like wicked knives into one's eyes. Therefore she did not understand the tone of longing in which the oldest residents of the Twilight realm – those who had been residents of the Light, but were banished to the Twilight - used whenever they spoke of the Realm of Light. What could that realm hold that could surpass the perfection of the Twilight – what could be more beautiful that the rivers of soft blackness, the plains of ashen earth, the soft rustling of the shadows?

No, she could not understand the attraction of the Light for some. And she doubted she ever would.

***

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2. Whispers of far away evil

_Imprisoned under ancient seal_

_With shadow_

_It Merges_

…_beware…_

***

Zant was getting to be a nuisance.

Again and again, he had tried to establish himself as King of the Twili, firmly adamant in the belief that he deserved to be the next ruler. Midna was fully aware of his belief that the Twili had been imprisoned in the Twilight Realm for far too long, that it was an injustice to her people. But Midna knew better.

Although Zant may have harboured feelings of resentment towards the royal family of Hyrule – the royal family of the Light – these feelings were for the most part non-existent among her people. They may have been shared similar feelings initially, but that time had passed. The eons spent in the Twilight had eroded these feelings away until nothing but a vague memory of the Light reminded them that those feelings had existed at all. No, her people would not want to return to the light. They would not follow him, so his efforts were futile. He was a nuisance, but hardly a threat.

Or so she thought.

***

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3. The Evil King rises anew

_The Dark Power resurrected_

_Rightful rulers_

_O'erthrown_

…_the light fades…_

***

Midna was running.

Her foot caught on her ridiculously long robe, and she nearly falls, but catches herself. Gasping, she sucks in another hasty breath and resumes her frantic sprinting. Behind her, he follows.

She was running. She was fleeing.

The screams of her people echo, linger in the air like the midnight specks which drift lazily upwards. Shadow beasts, their eyes gleaming with a terrible blankness are everywhere, they were called by him, they are with him, they have taken over. The Twilight was no longer just shadows, it was full of dark blackness, it was filled with evil. While her people scream, while they plead for help, for _her _help, she runs.

She was fleeing, turning her back on her realm, on her people.

She bursts out of the castle which used to be hers but was now his – funny how things were like that, one day the world made sense and the next it was turned inside out like some sort of sick joke - and continues to run. Her breaths are laboured, her limbs are heavy, and there is a thrice-damned stitch in her side which she tries to ignore but cannot. Still, he follows.

She flees, but not fast enough. He is upon her.

She whips around, eyes wide with fright, and he is there. His heavy iron helmet-mask covers the majority of his face, but she can see his smile. His sick smile, triumphant, mocking and devoid of sanity. Yes, that was what Zant was – he was insane. Something in him had broken and that was how the evil had reached out and seized him and now he was upon her.

There was no escape.

She retreats with faltering steps. If only she could stop the wretched trembling of her legs. She was the Twilight Princess – she should be able to at least die with some semblance of dignity.

_Ah, but I'm not going to kill you, princess. It'll be far more amusing if you see what you have let happen to your kingdom – to your people! Twilight Princess and you run away while your people are suffering! _I _never would have fled. _I _would have stood for our people. _I _know what is best for the Twili, and it is _I _who shall lead them, not you – _YOU LITTLE WRETCH!

He raised his sleeved hand then as if to smite her, and she raises her hand in a futile attempt to protect herself. And then something, some shadow seizes her then, and she is consumed by it, she cannot see, she cannot hear, all she feels is herself shrinking, being diminished somehow and then she is on the floor. With an unsteady breath, she gasps, and pushes up with unsteady limbs, her small hands on the paved floor – her hands. Her small, small hands. Were they like that before? Uncomprehendingly she stares at them and then the true horror of what happened seizes her

(_-din, nayru, and farore, he turned me into an ugly little imp-)_

and she screams and screams as her life and her realm lies in ruins around her.

***

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4. Hope gone, light lost, the dark has won –

_But wait._

_Forgotten __Myths_

_Magic, __Tribe, __Antiquity_

_Beast_

_Hero_

_...buried in time..._

_REMEMBERED_

***

How long had it been? Seconds, minutes, hours, years, time dragging on end, infinite, meaningless, an instant, forever? She was lost, _all _was lost, the dark had taken over and both realms were lost, _lost, _LOST!

_Princess…_

She staggered mindlessly, eyes blank, unseeing. She had no destination. She lurched onwards because she had to, she had to do something, or the guilt inside her

(-_the guilt for doing absolutely NOTHING! what a useless little-)_

that was barely restrained would break loose and rip her apart.

…_can you hear us?_

Was there no hope at all left? Her people screamed in pain, and the very realm seemed to weep, a broken murmuring that seeped in every shadow in the land.

_Princess…can you hear us?_

_Can you hear us scream?_

Dear goddesses, this was all her doing. Wretched little imp that she was, to have fled like a white livered, spineless coward.

_Princess, why have you deserted us? YOU turned your back on US, on YOUR PEOPLE, those YOU SWORE TO PROTECT! _

_Can you feel our pain? Can you feel what you let happen to us?_

_We SCREAAAAM, We SCREAAAM IN THE PAIN _YOU INFLICTED ON US!

If only she had stayed…if only she had resisted him…if only she hadn't been so weak…

_Can you hear us?_

_Can you hear us SCREAM?_

If only her mind would go dark, black…like her kingdom that now was submerged in the void…and let the hope die…

No.

Things could not end this way.

Not then, not now, _not ever!_

She could not let things be this way. Zant may have gained his unholy power but he had forgotten…he had forgotten about the most ancient and powerful of their tribe's magic.

_The Fused Shadows._

She could've laughed, in spite of her exhausted state. The fool! The fool had completely forgotten about the Fused Shadows, the ultimate shadow that had been broken into 4 pieces, one of which had been passed down from generation to generation of the rulers of the Twilight. The fool had forgotten to take it from her!

All it took was for her to will it to appear from that immaterial vault that she carried with her wherever she went, and it appeared, with a low, controlled humming. Never before had she recognized that humming for what it was: restrained power waiting to be freed.

Her crimson eyes went flat with hatred and her mouth widened first into a smile, then into a feral snarl, all needle sharp teeth and writhing tongue. Yes. She would gather the forbidden power. And with it, when she found Zant again – Goddess help him then – she would unleash it on him and crush the unholy power with which he had wrested the Twilight Realm from her grasp. She would free her realm and her people – she had to.

She had failed her world once. She would redeem herself.

***

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And there we go. Hope you enjoyed one of my occasional attempts at actual writing. The horror style writing was kinda inspired off of Stephen King books...if you haven't read them, you should. Well, that is, if you're not afraid of stepping in a few puddles (and sometimes lakes) of horror, bloody and gore.

Anyways, don't be expecting an update for - I dunno - say, a month at the least. I don't want to post everything I have and then agonize over finishing the next chapter.

And before you go, you _absolutely _must review. Right now.

I mean it.

Done? Good. Bye now.

~Da Scribbler


	2. hyrule

**The Shadow's Lament**

**Disclaimer: **No, I do NOT own Zelda, otherwise I probably would've gotten someone who can ACTUALLY write to write this out as an epic novel. As it is, heck, I'm not going to let anybody else have the pleasure of writing this fanfic, no way!

**Da Scribbler says:** Yes, it really HAS been a month since I posted the first chapter...wow...so, whatever - as I said I would, here's the second chapter. I read it over (I haven't touched this thing for weeks now) and it still struck me as pretty decent, so I tweaked it a bit, and well, here you go.

Right, so, for all my Parody readers, again, I am _so _sorry! Between my writer's block and school work, I have been pretty much brain dead on that parody for a while now! Seeing as March Break is around the corner, I have deemed it a golden oppurtunity to actually get some homework, piano, theory AND fanfiction done, so hang tight! If I haven't posted a new chap of my parody by next week, you have every right to flame me.

Oh, and I forgot to mention last time, I also was inspired to write this (as in, a Zelda epic) after re-reading my personal favourite Zelda fanfiction of all time: "Legend of Zelda: The Return" by Rose Zemlya. It's the only really long fanfiction I've read that I have truely and fully enjoyed. Mostly, I just enjoy reading oneshots, but this is the exception... If you have time, and LOVE OoT, you should give it a try.

Anyways...read, enjoy and review!

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5. Through Mirror which joins Light and Dark

_Reaching for the light..._

_There is_

_FIRE_

_***_

In the Twilight Mirror, Midna could _feel _herself being taken apart, miniscule particle by particle and drawn inexorably to and into the flawless surface, and past it, through that space between this realm and the next.

And then images came, all at once, as if they had burst from some dam. And she was overwhelmed by them: images of places, some of which she knew-

(_-the image of a lake of shadows, a starkly white sky that seemed even whiter in comparison to the void beneath it, serene midnight specks in the air-)_

_(-caves where shadows that somehow managed to glow in a sly, subtle way clung to the walls in intricate patterns-)_

-and some which she did not (but would come to, oh yes, as some deeper level of her awareness whispered to her) but instinctively knew must belong to the realm to which she was going-

_(-forests so deep you could lose yourselves in them, swallowed into the depths of its colossal earthen belly forever and just over the top of those age-old trees one could make out the majestic peak of a rust-coloured mountain-)_

_(-a bridge, a structure of man which had seen many years and was built to see many more years, and underneath was a expanse of water so clear, so pure-)_

-and she saw people, of all shapes, sizes and races. She saw Twili-

_(-with the same smooth, pearly-grey skin she herself possessed, and oh, how sad they looked, their eyes, goddess, their eyes! she could see pain and loss in them, anguish and what looked like a terrible accusation directed at no, she could not finish that thought, _would _not lest she be driven mad by guilt-)_

-and others, so strange that they could only be-

_(-by din, look at that pale skin! and then – what are these? living rocks with eyes of living onyx, and half-breed humanoid creatures with the fins of a fish! goddess help me-)_

-Creatures of the light.

And she was flung into each image so that it was not just an image; it was more of a memory – whose memories? She knew not. She was not here nor there but everywhere, in a dizzying torrent of sights, sounds, and smells. All she could do was desperately attempt not to lose herself in the chaotic stream of sensations.

And then abruptly (and yet not so abruptly, that moment had certainly been more than just a moment) as if it cut off by an axe, the stream stopped and she was whole again and she blinked with astonishment and relief to find herself out of the mirror and-

-into the burning light.

Pain as she had never known engulfed her, a burning so intense that surely, she would be obliterated by its intensity; and she reached out in a blind panic towards the nearest shelter she could find for she had to escape this invisible, insubstantial tormentor before it destroyed her utterly.

And half an instant later, she found herself safe within the shadow (for she had fled into the very substance of the shadow – she didn't dare remain substantial in this world that burned her like the flames directly out of Hell) of what she dimly registered as a circular structure of sorts – perhaps the ruins of a tower? A detached part of her mused over this even as she collapsed inside the shadows, gasping and shaking. She tried to move her limbs, or at least still her shaking, but she found that her body simply wouldn't listen to her.

_Goddess_ – she had never known that being exposed to the Light would do THAT to her. Her limbs were robbed of their strength, her breaths were shallow and irregular, and she felt a shivery coldness. With terrible certainty, she knew that if she had been exposed to the Light for even seconds longer, it would've killed her.

And so, even when she found herself in control of her body again several minutes later, she bided her time in the shadows, waiting for that one blazing orb named the Sun to set in the strange blue sky.

***

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6. Two sides never meant to meet mix

_The borderlines begin to blur_

_The Light_

_The Twilight_

_intertwine..._

_***_

When the Sun had finally set that day in the Gerudo Desert, a sudden and alarmingly strong feeling of homesickness stole into Midna's heart. With the burning Light fading away, and the dark settling in like a gentle snow fall, the World of Light looked almost like...the Twilight Realm.

Then she laughed at her own stupidity – of _course _it looked like her home. The hour after the Sun set and before night painted the sky in satiny blackness _was _called twilight by the creatures of Light. Her old tutor would have killed her for forgetting such a fact about the Light Realm, but at the time of her instructions, she hadn't particularly cared about studying the Light. "It's not as though I'll ever find myself in that ridiculous realm," Midna had told her indignant instructor time and time again. And once more, she laughed at how wrong she had been.

_Enough reminiscing_, she reprimanded herself. _Now that it's dark enough, I should be able to travel through the shadows._

She moved gingerly at first, with halting steps for fear that this world would burn her even when enrobed in shadows, but as she found each step pain-free, she gained in speed until she was flitting through the shadows at a speed that ate up the leagues faster than any horse could have. She had no clear destination in mind – she didn't even know this world, let alone recognize any settlements or places – but something inside her told her to keep moving eastward. It was almost a tug, calling her to travel until she reached the mountains on the far off eastern horizon.

Although it didn't exert her physically in the least, traveling through the moonlit desert was mind numbingly tedious. Other than the chamber in which the Twilight Mirror had been located, there were no other structures in this vast expanse of desert. There was only sand, sand and more sand. Was this all there was to Hyrule, that land of Light which the oldest of the Twili still dreamed about? What a boring place...

Several hours later – Midna guessed perhaps ten or so– she reached the foothills of the mountains which did not seem quite as impressive as they had from the Twilight Mirror. The tops were not particularly high and over the tops of them, she could see-

(_???)_

-Twilight.

Not the dusky hour in this world which they called twilight, but an actual Curtain of Twilight. And Midna realized that Zant had meant exactly what he had said.

_I will wrest the World of Light out of the grasp out of the hands of the overly arrogant royal family! The Twili _will _take over! We _shall _be the indisputable lords of not just this realm, but that which we were exiled from as well!_

Good goddess, he had actually meant it.

She climbed nimbly up the mountains as easily as a squirrel would scale a tree, bounding from precipice to precipice until she found herself directly in front of the Curtain, with the engraved symbol of an eye directly in the centre of the midnight door outlined with gold.

Hesitantly, she reached toward the Curtain, but then let her arm drop. What if it was a trap? What if Zant himself was within this Twilight? But entering the Twilight was so tempting...this world was strange and she did not belong in it. It did not want her in it either – she could feel that in every fibre of her being. Why else would such a monstrosity as the Sun exist?

She stood there indecisively, staring without seeing past the mountains, past the Twilight Door to the East, where a faint light was starting to-a faint light? With a start, she realized that the Sun, the goddess damned Sun was rising again. A memory of the fire the Light had caused her made her shudder. No, she could _not _live through that.

As so, as the Sun began to slowly flush out the night, Midna slipped through the Twilight Door and into the unnatural Twilight.

***

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(Reads over italized blurbs) Gah, I can't write poetry, can I? (Reads them again) ...yeah, I can't. Bummer. Anywhos, at least I can write...I think. Do review and tell me if I can or not, will you? Thanks.

I think I'll start updating this fanfic monthly...just like the monthly releases of FMA, haha. What an awesome manga that is... Right, so check this fanfic on April 12th or so - I'll update again then. I really need to get off this site and start my homework now, so - 'til then, see ya.

~Da Scribbler


	3. princess

**The Shadow's Lament**

**Disclaimer:** Well, I own the Zelda Master Collection, Phantom Hourglass, and, um, some...err...emulated games...ahem (cough)...oh, you meant the franchise?

**Da Scribbler: **Let it be known here and now that I can't keep a deadline for shit. Not in fanfiction anyways, so I'm giving that up. From now on, when it's done, it'll be done and up!

Well, what was with the goddess damned delay, you ask? The story was, I had chaps three to five written out, and nice and ready on a USB... and then lost it. And just who wants to rewrite all that again?! I certainly didn't! Well, I finally got the inspiration again, and I'm actually quite happy. I know for certain that I never would've been able to write some of these bits this well the first time round so I guess that it was all for the best?

By the way, the feel of the italisized blurbs has changed. Each er, section, has a different kind of theme that I was writing around for the moment. Each blurb is a kind of obscure reflection of that theme. It probably doesn't make sense to anybody but me but if you get it or think you get it, it'd be great if you mentioned it. I'm curious to see if anybody understands my convulated writing in these blurbs. I'm rather proud of them this time, actually. If I don't have due cause to be proud, er, then...please try to tell me as gently as possible.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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7. Shattered mind, twisted thoughts

_Sanity? Madness? The faint line bends_

_Who's to say what is?_

***

Midna was homesick.

It was really quite stupid. She was fully aware that she was not in the Twilight Realm, that she was as far away from home as it was possible to be. She looked out on the plains surrounding her with disapproval. Hyrule looked nothing like the Twilight. Even with its Light stolen, it seemed to emit a faint aura most unlike the Twilight, as if even the Shadow Beasts couldn't completely steal away the very essence of Light. There was just the barest similarity to her world, and yet it was enough so that she found herself dreaming that she was back in the Realm of Shadows.

"This is Hyrule," she told herself crossly. "This isn't home so you might as well stop thinking about it."

Her heart stubbornly refused to listen. The thing had about as much sense as a Moblin. She scowled as she tried to focus on the far more important issue at hand; Midna was lost. Judging from the fact that all she could see for miles around was grass and more grass, she was probably in the grassland known as Hyrule Field.

"Castle Town is in Lanayru province... a bit east of the Desert...north of Faron..." she murmured to herself as she studied the piece of parchment in her hands. She placed her finger on the dot labelled "Castle Town" and then another on a spot somewhere beneath it. "I _should _be here, meaning that the Castle should be North...or am I West of that? Oh, Din!" She swore angrily. What good was stealing a map when she didn't even know which direction was North? Where was a compass when you needed one?

With an angry snap of her fingers, there was a flash of dark light and the map disappeared back into the immaterial space that she carried with her. Well, the map was certainly proving to be useless. If only she could just _see _Hyrule Castle. Midna glared at the dark line of trees blocking her sight in the distance and then let out a scream of impatience and frustration. She kicked a nearby tree to find that it hurt quite a bit. Midna swore louder.

She glanced up at the sun that was barely visible through the veil of Twilight. It was setting; another day was ending.

_Four days_, she thought. _It's been four days_. There was a moment, one blessed moment, of calm before it hit her.

(-_Nayru farore and din i've been looking for four days but not one not even one I haven't found any none at all-)_

_(-Priiinccesssss....heeelllppp ussssss-)_

_(-oh goddess don't think about it oh DON'T-)_

_(-can you heaaaar us? we screaaaammm-)_

_(-__it is _I _who shall lead them, not you-_)

(-_don't think about PLEASE-)_

_(-WE SCREAAAAAAM-)_

_(-YOU ABANDONED THEM, YOU LITTLE WRETCH-)_

_**(!!!DON'T!!!)**_

Midna found herself curled up in a ball in the grass. She pushed herself into a sitting position, feeling weak. She touched her forehead; it was sweaty, even though her skin was cool, as was normal for a Twili.

"I'm going to go mad."

She sounded oddly calm, almost indifferent, even to herself. Strange. You'd think you'd be panicked after having a slight mental breakdown. And she'd been having them ever since she'd entered Hyrule.

Was this the price she was going to have to pay for fleeing? Was the guilt slowly going to eat her sanity until her mind, too, was broken and mad like the usurper, Zant? Well then, she supposed she deserved it. After all, it had been her, the little white-livered wretch who had let her people be devoured by the dark magic and now they would wander in the dark forever and she with them-

"Stop it." She shook her head slowly, and closed her eyes tightly. She imagined a blank slate, and tried to make her mind as empty. "Get a grip on yourself. No matter what happened, you've still got a duty to your people and you'd better remember it. You've got no business losing it."

With a great effort, she focused on her goal (-_fused shadows-) _again.

"Hyrule Castle. That's where the Hyrule royal family must be, and they must know where they are," she said aloud. She stopped her next thought (-_but what it they don't-_) in its tracks before it could prove to be the catalyst of yet another breakdown. "That's your objective. Focus on it."

She got up, feeling lightheaded from the sudden head rush. Her eyes racked the dark outline of trees and mountains. There was no Castle in sight.

"If only I could just see where the damned Castle is..." she gritted her teeth together when it hit her. Above her, the sky was darkening-

_The sky_.

She shot up into the sky. Idiot! Why hadn't she thought of it before? Hyrule seemed to shrink and unfold before her like some colossal map. She squinted, struggling to make out the tiny shapes before her. To her left, the sun had been engulfed by the horizon. The red light washed over the patch of water that was Lake Hylia. And directly ahead-

(-_!!!-_)

-in the middle of the flat rolling Field, there was a town. It was quite a large town, surrounded by tall stone walls, with people the size of ants bustling through its streets. And in the middle of it all was-

"Hyrule Castle," Midna whispered with an odd mixture of triumph and trepidation.

***

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8. Greetings, little Highness

_How are you this day?_

_A minute of your time_

_If ye please, do say_

_Do you know the game_

_Oh, that grand game we play_

_The Game of Fake-Smiles and Half-Truths?_

_***_

Hyrule Castle was the very antithesis of the Palace of Twilight, pale white to the Palace's deep black, but the two structures were still oddly similar. Surrounded by soaring marble towers, the Castle itself was taller still, standing like a palace of the Goddesses before the Town beneath it.

_He's here. Whoever he is, he's got to be here – the Ruler of Hyrule, King, Queen, Prince, Princess, whoever it is that holds the keys to the Fused Shadows, they're here._

(-BUT WHERE?-)

Midna was inside Hyrule Castle, hidden inside the shadows. It was a precaution. Against what? Certainly not the Hyrulians, who could no sooner see her than realize that they were as spirits under the influence of the Twilight. No, it was the goddess damned monsters that she was hiding from.

"Why is it," Midna muttered to herself. "That I've found all sorts of monsters, from Boblins to goddess-blasted Darknuts, parading the hallways, yet not one human, let alone member of the Royal Family, have I found?"

The truth was, she was frantic. Here she was, stuck in some monster-riddled fortress in some country she didn't belong in, searching for some sealed away, half-forgotten artefacts from her tribe's earliest origins. The key to finding those artefacts was the Royal Family of Hyrule-

-and she couldn't find them.

(-_what if they're not here what if they're _dead_ please farore that at least one member is alive_-)

But for all she knew, they could be. Zant had surely taken over this Castle, and had surely dealt with the Ruler of Hyrule, whoever he or she was. Sure, when he had overthrown his own world, he had been satisfied to merely trap her in this decrepit form but maybe, in his hatred of the Hyrule Royal Family he had-?

No, he couldn't have. He wouldn't have dared. She refused to accept that possibility.

But then, where were they? She wasn't some twisted psychopath, how could she think what Zant would think?

(-_there's a place to start_-)

"...think like Zant?" she said slowly, the thought coming out as a question. The very thought sickened her but she had no other ideas. She shuddered slightly as she began to brainstorm.

_Zant. What do I know about him? He's power hungry with no scruples to stop him, stark raving mad, and very melodramatic._

She paused a bit at the last thought.

_Melodramatic...the type who enjoys those blown up fairy tales about dying heroes and princesses locked up in towers._

The corners of her mouth twitched into a reluctant grin at the thought. What did she have to lose? Midna flitted through the walls, outside the castle and then to the first tower she saw. "Got to be here somewhere," she repeated to herself as she searched the tower's winding staircase and then its single room.

She was flying up the staircase of the third tower when-

(-_!!!shadow beast!!!_-)

-she hurled herself headlong into the shelter of a shadow. She waited with baited breath as the filthy beast lumbered down the staircase, its dull red eye probing the walls. Her normally sluggish heart was beating irregularly fast (-_you can't see me, you can't see me_-) as she watched the beast descend towards the bottom of the tower. Behind the fear of being caught, she felt a sort of shaky triumph. As soon as it was safe, she shot out of the shadows and up the staircase.

_Zant doesn't position these filthy brutes just anywhere. _

At the top of the staircase was a set of large iron-wrought doors. One of them stood ajar; Midna, feeling breathless, slipped inside it.

_They're always guarding something. Whether it be Zant himself, possibly a Fused Shadow or-_

It was a small bleak room. There was a bed pushed against one wall. A fire crackled in the hearth in the wall opposite. There were a few chairs, looking as though they had been moved from the single small round table in the room. The walls were bare; easily the most dominating feature was the twin glass windows, finely blown, looking down on Castle Town. And sitting in a chair by the window-

-_the Royal Family._

The figure was robed in black, the hood pulled low over the face. He or she was reading a book by the dim light coming from the windows. What caught Midna's attention the most, though, was that this person was not like the smoky spirits that lingered outside. This person was corporeal, solid flesh and bone. The right hand turned the page; something golden glistened up from it. Midna froze to see three golden triangles shining up at her.

The Triforce, the Royal Family's Crest, the Mark of the Gods – there were a dozen different names for the mark on the hooded stranger's hand. What it all came down to (-_this is a child of destiny a chosen of the goddesses_-) was simple.

_I found you_.

The hooded stranger closed the book and rose to his or her feet. The hand with the glittering triangles softly touched the glass of the window as the hooded head bent down to look down at the Town. Whoever it was, he or she seemed to be aware of what was happening to Hyrule. The head bent, as if unable to look anymore. There was a soft sigh, pensive and melancholic.

An irrational stab of annoyance hit Midna. What business did this dark robed person, whoever he was, have being so goddess damned depressed? It was time to cut all the gloom and doom he was radiating anyways.

"You're the Ruler of Hyrule, I take it?" She asked loudly in the most scathing tone she could manage as she rematerialized.

The person by the window whipped around at the sound of her voice almost instantaneously. It was almost as if she had been expecting it, or had sensed Midna a second before she spoke.

"Who are you?" The voice was unmistakably female.

"Just a Twili of no real importance, your Majesty," she answered with a flippant curtsey. When she straightened up, it was her falsely sweet courtier's smile that Midna had on her face. It came easily, naturally. This was, after all, no different from the court life she had spent all her life in. "Of course, I'm right in the assumption that you're the Queen, aren't I?"

"And if I were, why would I tell you?" She asked in a tone that was defiant, wary and challenging all in one.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Milady High and Lofty. I must have mistaken you for someone else. I _was _on my way to help out the Queen of Hyrule...I heard she was in a bit of a fix, you see...but I just can't find her," Midna said, shaking her head in mock sadness. Midna smiled slyly back at the sudden frozen robed figure. "Unless...you wouldn't have happened to have seen the Queen, would you, Milady?"

"...princess," the robed woman corrected her reluctantly.

(-_go figure another _princess-) The corners of Midna's mouth twitched at the dry irony as she grinned impishly.

"Princess. Right. I beg pardon, your Highness," Midna mock apologized with another glib curtsey. The robed stranger seemed to bristle at this; her back straightened slightly and her head went up.

"What do you want of me?" She demanded. Midna could almost see the flash of the Hylian woman's eyes as they glared at her from under the shadow of her hood. "What are you after? Are you really here to help me or is this some foul plot devised by Zant?"

_(-!!!YOU ABANDONED THEM, YOU LITTLE WRETCH!!!-)_

The words struck her like a blow and the courtier's act slipped a bit – just a bit – but enough. Midna's eyes flattened as she snarled at the idea. "Me? Work for _Zant_?" She spat out the words in a cold fury. "I'd sooner be burned again by the Sun!"

The Hylian woman seemed rather taken aback by her sudden outburst. When she spoke next, it was in a far warmer tone that any Midna had heard her use yet. "Ah...I take it I am not the only one here who holds a grudge against that false king. Forgive me, Twili."

"Midna," she said shortly. She took deep breaths, trying to forget her anger, although her arms were still crossed tightly. "The name's Midna."

"Midna," the Hylian woman repeated, nodding a little to herself. "Midna of the Twili." The woman paused a little before she slowly pushed back her hood and Midna saw, for the first time, the Princess of Hyrule. She was, Midna supposed, beautiful, in a pale, Hylian sort of way. Her brown hair was held back by an ornate tiara and fell down her back in a long, thick braid. The features of her pale face were finely modeled, with a sort of softness to them.

"Princess Zelda, of the Hyrule Royal Family. That would be me," she said, fixing her blue eyes on to Midna's red ones. She extended her right hand, half-offering it. The anger had gone from Midna by now. She smiled her courtier's smile again as placed her own small dark hand into it. She started slightly at the warmer temperature of the Hylian woman's hand. Zelda seemed likewise unnerved by her coolness. They both shook firmly though.

"Not only Princess, but the Chosen of Nayru as well, I take it," Midna noted, glancing at the Triforce on her hand.

Zelda laughed; there was an oddly cynical note to it. "That's what they say, but I have some doubts about that," she said with a tight smile. Zelda's pained glance at the window didn't pass unnoticed.

"You are aware of what's happening, aren't you?" Midna asked, looking at the clouds of Twilight looming outside.

Zelda nodded curtly.

"...what happened?" Midna asked quietly.

"You know what happened, don't you?" Zelda asked shortly; there was no doubting the bitterness in her smile this time. "Didn't the same thing happen to your world? Zant overthrew your Royal Family as well, didn't he?"

Midna looked away. She couldn't bring herself to answer. It was silent for a long moment.

"It was a week ago," Zelda whispered. "It seems so much longer than that, yet so much shorter at the same time." Zelda sank back into the chair at the window and buried her face into her hands in a gesture that was weary beyond her years. Midna didn't know what had convinced the Hylian woman to speak, but she didn't question it. She needed to know exactly what Zant was up to; she kept quiet and listened intently.

Zelda's head came up and the pain in her eyes was almost tangible. "The Twilight came first," she went on in a strangled voice. "Zant must have brought it with him from the Twilight Mirror. It was done very quickly – none of the inhabitants of Castle Town even noticed. His Shadow Beasts were already inside the Castle perimeters by the time we realized they were here. They swept in like a black plague; we were overpowered within minutes."

"I was in the throne room, left only with a handful of loyal soldiers. His army of Beasts came in – and he with them. We resisted them; it was a futile attempt to delay the inevitable. We lost. And then he asked me to choose."

"To surrender or to die."

Zelda fixed Midna with a cold hard stare before she said in a flat voice, "Well, you know what happened after that. I chose to surrender. I chose, for every man, woman and child in this domain. I was the one who condemned them to this half-existence."

Midna's first thought (_-she's the same as me_-) was irrational. Zelda's story was both a knife in her chest and a breath of fresh air. It picked at the poorly dammed up madness that seized her at times, yet it was utterly and palpably relieving.

_I'm not the only one._

"That's my story," Zelda finished; the hardness had melted out of her and she was weary again. "This is Hyrule's tale. I can only assume that the Twilight Realm's is much the same."

There was no helping it.

_Don't you dare break down now_. She refused to look Zelda in the eye but fixed her eyes at a point somewhat above her right shoulder as she began to talk.

"Two years ago, the Twilight King died, with no heir to succeed him. Naturally, there was confusion and much competing between the Royal Families as to who would become the next Ruler. Zant was one such."

"He was ambitious, strong and clever. He had many characteristics that made a great King. But he also was possessed of traits that would make him the downfall of the Twili."

"Zant bore a grudge against the Hyrule Royal Family." Zelda fidgeted slightly at this, but said nothing. "You already know the Twili race's story – you know of our ancestor's hunger for power and then their fall from grace. Most of us, the Twili, are content with our lot. We love our Realm of Shadows and ask for nothing more."

"But not Zant."

"He was the same as our ancestors, the Dark Interlopers. He thirsted for power and he thirsted for revenge against those who had banished us to the Shadows. He spoke loudly of rebelling and of starting a war against the Light – the fool," Midna said coldly. She remembered Zant's appeals for war to a peace-loving race all too clearly.

"Zant was denied the Throne. Another candidate was chosen; she was crowned Twilight Princess."

Midna managed to keep her voice steady; she could only pray that her face was smooth and indifferent.

"He didn't give up easily. Even after the coronation and crowning, he appealed to the people. He was denied again. I think something in him broke that second time. All anybody knows is that he disappeared for some months. Nobody thought much of it."

"And then he returned."

(-_we screaaaam-_)

(-I _shall rule and _I _shall lead our people-_)

Midna closed her eyes for a moment (-_i can't hear you i can't hear you_-) before she ploughed on.

"He came back with the support of the Shadow Beasts behind him. How he did it is unknown to me. Although they are descended from the Shadow Interlopers as well, they arenothing like the Twili. Monsters, that's what they are."

"Whatever it was he offered them or did, it worked. They overthrew our Kingdom in minutes. When we resisted, Zant used his magic on us." Midna paused, her brow furrowed as she frowned. "It was magic beyond anything we've ever seen. It was dark magic."

"I thought the Twili use the magic of the shadows?" Zelda ventured, speaking for the first time. Midna shook her head.

"We do, but it's not the same. Whatever it was that he used, it was far darker than any the Twili use. It's a foul, perverted power, one that corrupts and spreads. With it, he seized the Twilit Crown."

"That magic has taken control of the Twili. It must be dark, dark magic, for it has possessed them and now they were the semblance of Shadow Beasts. But they're not the same!" Midna burst out, her hands balling up into fists.

She started slightly when Zelda laid a warm hand on her little fist. Midna looked up to see Zelda looking at her with sympathizing eyes.

"Be calm," she said softly. "It is not your fault."

Midna gave her a brittle smile and said nothing. Her hands unclenched and Zelda relieved the soft pressure of her hand on Midna's. Midna took a deep steadying breath.

"I managed to escape," Midna said. "And here I am."

Zelda nodded, absorbing all the information. "What happened to the Twilight Princess?" she asked.

Midna froze for half a second before she was able to smile; not her courtier's smile, she couldn't quite manage that. It turned out impish and slightly mocking as she shrugged as if it wasn't of much importance to her.

"Who knows? Zant probably has her locked up inside the Palace of Twilight, rather like you. Bottom line is, she's not the Princess anymore." Midna noticed her hands were shaking slightly. She stilled them with some effort. A smile flashed onto her face as she realized something.

"Well now, if you think about it, _you're _Twilight Princess now, aren't you?" she said lightly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she saw Zelda go stiff.

"What makes you say that?" Zelda asked slowly.

Midna laughed unkindly. "Just look outside! Your kingdom is covered by Twilight! Your people are as spirits! And wasn't it you who made the choice?"

Zelda flinched at the words. Midna felt a stab of vehement pleasure at her pain; the smile on her face widened into a sharp toothed grin.

"And while you're locked up in this tower, you still remain this kingdom's princess. This kingdom covered by Twilight! So just try telling me you're not the Twilight Princess!" She laughed again; it sounded unnaturally high and almost manic. Zelda was watching her with wary eyes.

"Midna?" she asked in a low voice.

_What are you doing? _A voice in her head – perhaps the only sane voice - screamed at laughter died away and Midna shook her head slowly.

"Sorry. Pressure of the situation getting to me," she said shortly. She looked up, smiling her fake sweet smile. Zelda didn't smile back. _Idiot! _She accused herself. That little moment of hysteria might have lost her the Hylian woman's trust.

_I still need information from you!_

"Zelda," Midna said slowly, thinking fast. "I can't help but think that we're in much the same situation."

"We are," Zelda answered, eyes still guarded.

Midna nodded. "We both might seem powerless – _but I know we can help each other_." She let a little passion seep into the words. _Talk as if you're talking to your people. Talk as if you're trying to become Princess again_. _Talk for your peoples' sake_. "Zant seized control of both our Worlds with his unholy power. Are you willing to stand idly to the side as he enslaves your people?"

"Believe me, Midna," Zelda said in a strong voice, her eyes blazing, "when I say that I'd die for the sake of my people and my land. I'd do anything."

"You," Midna said, pointing, "are trapped here. Zant has his Shadow Beasts watching you, so you are not free to move. But," she breathed. "I am."

"I'm searching for something, Zelda. Maybe you've heard of it...have you ever heard of an artefact called the Fused Shadow?"

Zelda's eyes widened and they flickered to the makeshift helmet on Midna's head. "Could it be...?" she breathed wonderingly.

Midna nodded, touching the artefact at her head. "As you know, after the Dark Interlopers were thwarted, the Fused Shadow was shattered into four pieces. This is the one that was left with the Twili. The others were entrusted to the Hyrule Royal Family, who scattered and hid them."

"The Fused Shadow is the physical manifestation of my tribe's strongest magic. With it, I can defeat Zant's black magic. With it, I can free both our dimensions."

"Are you certain?" Zelda asked suddenly. Midna looked into her eyes. She could see the hope and determination burning brightly in the depths of those blue eyes, the same hope and determination that she could feel glowing deep inside her. "Are you certain you could, Midna?"

"Absolutely. The only thing that I need is to know where they are. Youare Hyrule's Princess," Midna said, quivering with anticipation. "Youknow where they are. Tell me. I will find them. Our kingdoms will be free again."

Zelda smiled, a real smile this time; it lighted up her entire face. She really _was _beautiful. Midna felt a pang when she compared herself, in her small, impish form to the Hylian princess, with her porcelain beauty. The smile faded almost as soon as it had appeared though, and then Zelda was sombre again, her beauty much darker. Midna felt a pang of wild worry.

"You don't-?!"

"I know where the Fused Shadows are," Zelda said quietly, cutting her off. Midna laughed in relief.

"Oh! Well that's fine then – just tell me where they are!" Midna said. (-_with the fused shadows i seize back the twilit crown from zant and restore my realm-) _She hissed in anticipation.

"Midna, it's not as easy as that," Zelda said.

"Not as easy as that...?" Midna repeated, uncomprehending.

"You have to understand...this was the power that your ancestors used to attempt to seize control of the Sacred Realm," Zelda said, the words coming out faster. "This was a threat, a danger. My ancestors couldn't destroy it, but they certainly didn't want anybody to be able to possess the Fused Shadow again. That's why it was broken. That's why it was scattered."

"Each piece was entrusted to a different race; the Kokiri, who are no more, the Gorons, and the Zoras. They were given the task of sealing away the Fused Shadow shards so that none would ever be able to join them again. They did."

"They were sealed away and hidden in three different dungeons across Hyrule. They are each safeguarded by a series of traps, puzzles...and uncountable monsters."

There was a sinking feeling in Midna's stomach. _Traps, I can do. Puzzles as well. But monsters..._

"For the love of Nayru..." Midna moaned. "Well, this changes things considerably. Say, Zelda, is there anywhere that the Twilight hasn't spread to yet in Hyrule?"

"This Castle is the source of the Twilight. If I had to guess, Faron and Ordon, the southern provinces, should be the last to be covered by the Twilight. What are you planning, Midna?"

"If you don't mind, Twilight Princess-" Zelda winced at the addressment, but said nothing, "-I'm going to find a nice obedient Light dweller to act as my brawn. My pet can deal with the monsters for me. If that's fine with you...?"

"I don't think I have an option," Zelda said dryly. "But I think you should be asking your "pet's" permission before you do anything."

"Right, right, I'll be sure to ask," Midna said offhandedly. "Now, if you'll just tell me where-"

There was a loud echoing noise coming from the door. They both froze. Zelda glanced at it for a second, appraising the situation briefly before she said sharply, "There's no time. It's coming back for another round. Come back when you've found who you're looking for. I'll tell you then."

Midna nodded sharply. "You'd best remember that, Princess."

Zelda looked up at her with an unreadable expression. "I will. The prospect seemed so black before – like the sun would never rise. You've given me hope, Midna. I look towards the day when both our Realms will be free once more."

Midna looked away before Zelda could see the misgivings in her eyes. "As do I. I'll see you round – Twilight Princess."

And she slipped through the walls of the Castle and went away, far away, from the princess trapped in the tower.

***

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- - - - - - - --------------------------iii--end----

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Hopefully, this chap was worth the ridiculous wait. At least it's longer than the other two. Thanks a ton for reading - and please, please review! Comments, critisism, rate, hate - everythings welcome!

Hang on for the next chapter - we should be seeing Link by then! You just gotta love Link...especially when he can turn into a wolf.

~Da Scribbler


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